The Pertemps Final is perhaps the hardest race to find a winner of at the Cheltenham Festival, with qualifiers throughout the season and some still to be navigated. Nevertheless, Matty Sutcliffe has come armed with a strong 14/1 fancy to bet now…
Pertemps – Feet Of A Dancer 14/1 1pt WIN
The Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown on the 28th December has traditionally been a helpful piece in deciphering the puzzle of the final come March, with five of the last nine winners to come from that contest. While there are still a few more left, notably Chepstow where Monmiral came from last season, the effort from FEET OF A DANCER in third from the Leopardstown qualifier was a taking one, and she merits strong consideration for the Final come March.
The daughter of Authorized boasts a respectable 4/11 strike rate over hurdles for Paul Nolan, and like plenty of her sire’s progeny she appears to be progressing with experience. She won back-to-back contests at Wexford as a four year-old-toward the back end of the 22/23 season, showing both speed and stamina to win over 2m/2m4f. She then posted a career best in a 20-runner field at Fairyhouse on seasonal debut last season, and was far from disgraced down in trip when matching that RPR of 125 in a listed mares handicap at Leopardstown, prior to returning from a 115-day layoff with a career best effort to make it 3-3 at Wexford in a 10k contest.
Feet Of A Dancer took her form to a new level when upped further in trip to 2m7f at Limerick on seasonal debut in October in a Listed mares contest when a five-length fifth to the 145-rated Jetara, who took the G2 Yorkshire Rose Mares Hurdle at Doncaster last time out. She again proved she has the speed to drop down in trip when a five length third again to the dual purpose mare Lot Of Joy in a listed mares’ hurdle at Punchestown, for all she shaped as if she’d appreciate the return to a longer trip when done for speed on the turn.
Her latest effort was in the Pertemps Qualifier at Leopardstown last time out back up to 2m7f and in handicap company, and while she did weaken up the run-in, that was predominantly down to the fact she over-raced without cover when wide throughout there. I thought it was a huge effort to have jumped the last in front and still travelling very much on the bridle, but a slightly less fluent jump there saw her lose momentum, with the keen exertions seemingly taking their toll.
She wouldn’t want to race as keen as that around Cheltenham, but as a track I do think she’d suit it as she’s a gutsy, agile mare who appears to take to any track (LH/RH, sharp, galloping, undulating). Her record when returning from a break reads 11313 so I’d imagine she’ll go to Cheltenham fresh, and it’s worth nothing that Paul Nolan won this in 2021 with another mare in Mrs Milner, who qualified in the same race at Leopardstown en-route and was a similarly progressive six year old relatively unexposed at the distance.
If she can settle toward the rear of the field with some cover this time and save enough for herself
in the finish, then I’d imagine she’ll be pitching in there at the end. Her Irish mark of 132 looks fair,
so hopefully the British handicapper won’t be too harsh for all anything around 135 would be
workable on what we’ve seen from her thus far.
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